TRONCO APPEARS TO BE A VERY BASIC CHAIR, ITS SEAT FORMED FROM PLANKS OF WOOD JOINED TOGETHER AND MOUNTED ON ROUND DOWELS. IT IS UNLIKE ANY OF OUR PREVIOUS DESIGNS FOR MATTIAZZI THAT HAVE DISPLAYED A SCULPTURAL SOFTNESS ACHIEVED BY ROBOTICALLY REMOVING MATERIAL. INSTEAD, TRONCO’S CHARACTER IS FORMED FROM SOLID STRIPS OF WOOD IN WHAT APPEARS AS VERY ELEMENTARY CONSTRUCTION, YET ITS SIMPLICITY IS THE RESULT OF ITERATIVE EXPERIMENTATION AND A HIGH REGARD FOR MATERIAL HONESTY; IT IS MADE WITH THE SAME EXTRAORDINARY LEVEL OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL THAT MATTIAZZI IS NOW KNOWN FOR. WITH TRONCO, WE REMAIN INTERESTED IN THE FRISSON BETWEEN SOLID PANEL CONSTRUCTION AND THE TRULY SKILLED CRAFT OF ITS MAKING. MATTIAZZI COULD NOW BE CONSIDERED TO BE LIKE A WELL-VERSED WINE MAKER – EACH YEAR PRODUCTION MATURES AS THEIR SKILLS DEVELOP. AND SO NOW IT SEEMS THE RIGHT TIME TO TACKLE A NEW LEVEL OF FUNCTION FOR A SOLID WOOD CHAIR: STACKING 10-HIGH AND CONNECTING IN LONG ROWS. TRONCO HAS SURPRISINGLY NATURAL COMFORT AND WORKS WELL IN MULTIPLES, NOT JUST ALONE. ITS FORM IS MODEST ENOUGH SO THAT IT TAKES ON THE APPEARANCE OF ‘TEXTURE’ WHEN SHOWN IN NUMBERS. IT LIFTS THE ATMOSPHERE OF INTERIOR SPACES THAT REQUIRE MANY CHAIRS, WHETHER IT IS A DINING HALL OR A CHAPEL. TRONCO, IN EFFECT, CREATES A TERRAIN OF ITS OWN IN ANY ARCHITECTURE. A RANGE OF
COLOURED STAINS HELP TO BRING OUT THE ASH GRAIN AND ADD FURTHER DIMENSION. WE ACCOMPANY THE TRONCO CHAIR WITH A TABLE, SIMILARLY MADE AND CHAMFERED AT THE EDGES SO THAT IT CAN JOIN EASILY WITH OTHERS. WITH ONE OR MANY, TRONCO EVOKES SOLIDITY RATHER THAN FRAME.
BY SAM HECHT & KIM COLIN